Prince’s classic concert film Sign O’ The Times has been picked up by Showtime. The premium cable outlet will be airing the film on Saturday, September 19 at 9pm.
What’s so special about a three decade old concert film?
Well first off, it’s Prince. And Prince at the height of his creative powers in the 1980s. Originally produced as a companion piece to the album of the same name, his first after parting ways with his band The Revolution, the album went platinum while producing three hit singles. The film is a great document of that moment in the musician’s careeer.
Village Voice rock critic Robert Christgau even went so far as to staate that Sign O’ The Times rivaled Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense as the greatest rock concert movie ever.
But more importantly, this film has been fairly missing in action over the years. It has never seen a US DVD release. It last screened on television over a decade ago. Given the fairly ubiqutious nature of most of Prince’s work and the critical accolades the film has received, its absence has been puzzling. Here’s hoping that this airing will be the beginning of a rediscovery and renewed availability of the film for fans.